Imitating Non-imitators

The Sage never fails in saving people, therefore no one is rejected.—Tao Te Ching 27

The relationally-oriented follow role models, so the way they find humility is for their role models (or their role models’ role models) to not be relationally-oriented. This happens naturally. Any relationally-oriented role model would follow other role models, so the chain of role models can only end with the non-relationally-oriented. This is the way the Teaching to balance relational orientation works: by helping the relationally-oriented to relate more directly with their ultimate role models we place them in a paradox which forces them to entertain other forms of evaluation.

One of the most clear ways to exhibit non-relational-orientation is to prioritize people who are not close to oneself and thus to break social barriers. Some of the most famous role models who broke social barriers include: God, Krishna, Moses, King David, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Mohammad. Attempting to imitate these kinds of role models quickly leaves us unable to maintain our relational biases.